The stories behind the print competition finalists

Language Barrier
Carter and Bruce were besties from the start. When we brought my son home from for the first time, Bruce came over and laid his head right on Carter’s little tiny legs while looking up at us for confirmation that this new addition was going to be ok. We knew that Bruce had one major advantage when it comes to babies – he’s completely deaf. Crying doesn’t bother him one bit! We “talk” with Bruce by stomping on the floor, using sign language, and buzzing his vibration collar when we need his attention. Carter had to find other ways of telling his best friend that he loved him, which was primarily accomplished through this open-mouthed growl while Bruce licked inside his mouth. Pretty gross, but such a precious memory. Carter is now almost 6 years old. His favorite way to show love to Bruce now is with snuggles. For dogs and for people, love can be expressed in many unique ways, without the need for words.

Multiple Perspectives
As we drove from a park to their home (pre-COVID) I turned around in my seat to see three teenagers just doing their thing – two of them were on their phones and this young man was just looking out the window the whole ride home. It struck me not only that he sat comfortably with the silence but also that it almost looked as if I was staring at two different people. He was staring out the window at the world and looking “at me” at the same time. This image struck home more during the pandemic. It is so easy to get weighed down by the world and try to escape through a phone, a computer, a TV. It’s in the quiet moments of stillness that we are able to contemplate what truly matters and take on different perspectives to try to help us make sense of what is going on around us. When we take the time to look out the external world from behind the glass of our protective bubbles, we are also able to reflect more on our internal environments and on our relationships with those who mean the most – those who are inside the bubble with us.

Reflecting Love
Laura lost her daughter, Anastasia, during childbirth. A year later she was pregnant with her son, Blake. “It felt like everyone thought that Blake would “cure” my sadness and in so many ways, he does. He brought joy back to my life, purpose back to my days and a smile back to my face. But he did not replace Anastasia. My heart still aches for her and my arms long to hold her. I want to shout to the world, ‘I am the Mother of TWO precious, perfect and beautiful children!’” THAT is what this session was about – creating a picture that also incorporated her angel baby. When Laura and Blake want to remember Anastasia, the go to a local duck pond together, listening to the breeze and feeling a deeper connection with her. This image is a picture of their reflection in that duck pond. The spots in the foreground are the result of bokeh from the lily pads.

Three Reasons
Being a parent is hard. Being an entrepreneur is constantly challenging. There are times that doing both doesn’t seem possible and I contemplate if I should give up on my dreams to be a better mom. Recently we asked my five year old if Mommy or Daddy should just go get a job to make money or stay the course with our businesses and help people with doing what we truly love. His response made me pause. “You should help people, and you can make money doing it.” From the mouths of babes. To this child’s mind, who has watched Mommy go through all of the ups and downs of running a business, it was very simple. He knows that I do this work to love people and to support our family. These three beautiful human beings depend on me to be mom and business owner. I can show up as both. They do not have to be exclusive of each other. My children are seeing how determination, resilience, and a community of support have given me this opportunity to stay home with them AND chase my dreams. This is my wish for them. This is the reason I get up early and stay up late almost every day.